Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Theresa May’s press conference with Emmanuel Macron 1.46pm GMT 1.43pm GMT In an interesting interview with the New Statesman Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, has hinted that he is open to the idea of funding the NHS through a hypothecated tax. Here is an extract from George Eaton’s article.Labour’s 2017 manifesto vowed to increase spending by raising taxes on corporations and the top 5 per cent of earners (those on salaries of more than £80,000). But Ashworth suggested that a more ambitious settlement was needed.“Under the previous Labour government, Gordon Brown laid out a case for the long-term investment needs of the National Health Service and then increased national insurance and hypothecated the yield from that to the NHS. That was actually a popular tax rise.” (A 2002 ICM poll found that 76 per cent of voters backed the policy.) Continue reading…
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